commonplace

American  

[kom-uhn-pleys] / ˈkɒm ənˌpleɪs /

adjective

1. ordinary; undistinguished or uninteresting; without individuality.

   a commonplace person.

2. trite; hackneyed; platitudinous.

   a commonplace remark.

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noun

1. a well-known, customary, or obvious remark; a trite or uninteresting saying.

   Synonyms:

   stereotype, platitude, bromide, cliché

2. anything common, ordinary, or uninteresting.

3. Archaic. a place or passage in a book or writing noted as important for reference or quotation.

commonplace British  

/ ˈkɒmənˌpleɪs /

adjective

1. ordinary; everyday

   commonplace duties

2. dull and obvious; trite

   commonplace prose

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noun

1. something dull and trite, esp a remark; platitude; truism

2. a passage in a book marked for inclusion in a commonplace book, etc

3. an ordinary or common thing

Related Words

Commonplace, banal, hackneyed, stereotyped, trite describe words, remarks, and styles of expression that are lifeless and uninteresting. Commonplace characterizes thought that is dull, ordinary, and platitudinous: commonplace and boring. Something is banal that seems inane, insipid, and pointless: a heavy-handed and banal affirmation of the obvious. Hackneyed characterizes something that seems stale and worn out through overuse: a hackneyed comparison. Stereotyped emphasizes the fact that situations felt to be similar invariably call for the same thought in exactly the same form and the same words: so stereotyped as to seem automatic. Trite describes something that was originally striking and apt, but which has become so well-known and been so commonly used that all interest has been worn out of it: true but trite.

Other Word Forms

• commonplacely adverb
• commonplaceness noun
• uncommonplace adjective

Etymology

Origin of commonplace

1525–35; translation of Latin locus commūnis, itself translation of Greek koinòs tópos

Example Sentences

Migration to Thailand for work is commonplace, and thousands of Laotian students head overseas each year, drawn by international education and better job prospects.

From Barron's

Former Police Commissioner Ray Kelly says there was a time when “police families were fairly commonplace” in the NYPD.

From The Wall Street Journal

We are seeing both buy and sell signals emerge, which is commonplace when SPX is in a trading range.

From MarketWatch

But these explosive yet inane occurrences have become commonplace.

From The Wall Street Journal

Local Government Secretary Steve Reed said the move would give mayors the same powers as their counterparts in cities like New York, Paris and Milan, where charges on short-term trips were already commonplace.

From BBC

Related Words

• customary
• mundane
• normal
• obvious
• prevalent
• typical